Chasing Dragons
by Jedi Goat
Summary: Five-year old Fred and George think a dragon is attacking their house during a thunderstorm. But when they need an older brother most, Percy's the only one around... No ships, lots of cuteness.


**Chasing Dragons**

Jedi Goat

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Written to redeem Percy's character, a little, in my eyes. ^^

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The brilliant flash of lightning illuminated the room for one blinding instant; the white light blazed across the terrified face of an infant. Then just as suddenly the room plunged back into darkness, the shadows closing in around his bed.

Five-year-old George Weasley clutched the covers over his head and scrunched his eyes shut, waiting, heart pounding, knowing any second now...

_Bang._

The thunder rolled over him like the deep, guttural growl of a great beast. With a squeak George flung aside his blankets and ran across the room, blundering in the direction of his brother's bed. He practically threw himself down beside him, burrowing into the warmth of the blankets.

"Fred! FRED!"

His twin stirred, blinking sleepily sideways at him. "George, wha...what's wrong?" All thoughts of returning to his dream vanished as he realized George was trembling like a leaf against his side.

"_'_m scared, Freddie."

Fred rolled over to face him. "There's nothing to be scared of, silly. Listen, it's just the rain." They both fell silent a moment, listening to the heavy pattering of raindrops against their window and the distant clanging of the ghoul in the attic. George's rasp of breathing quickened.

"There's a dragon out there," he whispered, clutching the front of Fred's pyjamas. "It's gonna eat us!" His eyes were wide, his face unnaturally pale.

Fred shook his head. "_'_Member what Percy said, it's just the thunder outside. He'd think it awfully silly to be 'fraid of thunder." Fred prodded George's side. Percy was seven, and as eldest in the household with Bill and Charlie off at Hogwarts, thought he knew everything. The twins didn't like it much – but when they asked Mum, she said Percy was right.

George paused, thinking about this as he snuggled further against his brother's chest. "Just in case it i_s_ a dragon," he concluded, "we'll stay here, 'kay?"

"_'_Kay," said Fred. The noises outside were much less scary when they were clumped together under the blankets, whispering back and forth.

Another bright flash illuminated the chamber; when the roar of thunder came again, it shook the room in its intensity. The twins' eyes widened; to their ears it sounded all too much like a dragon flying right over their heads.

"Freddie," George whispered, "I think Percy's scared of the dragon too."

"_More_ scared," corrected Fred. "Let's go protect him!"

-/-

Percy glanced up from his book when twin ginger-haired torpedoes burst into his room, yelling at the top of their lungs. "DRAGON! DRAGON!"

He sighed to himself; he supposed he wasn't the only one kept awake by the booming storm, and his younger brothers had to be terrified of the sound. He closed his chapter book and eyed them wearily over his glasses.

"There's nothing more threatening than a garden gnome out there. Calm down, you two, it's just your –"

"_'_s not our _'_magic-nation!" Fred cried indignantly.

"_Imagination_, Fred."

"You don't have to pr'tend, Percy," said George, crawling up on the bed beside him and pushing his head of unruly hair into Percy's side. "We'll be okay if we're together. The dragon won't hurt us."

Percy froze, uncertain of how to react to the contact. Ever since the twins had been able to walk they'd attached themselves foremost to Charlie: tailing him like twin shadows, never hesitating to run to _him_ when they were afraid. Now that Charlie had gone, Percy had longed to fill the void and be the older brother, leading his younger siblings as Bill and Charlie had done so naturally. But he'd never earned that respect, no matter how hard he tried to be the grown-up.

Now as George snuggled against him Percy was utterly lost as to what to do next. Then Fred crawled up on his other side, curiously tugging at his book.

"Does this one have pictures?"

"Er – " said Percy. And then, suddenly, as if he was watching Charlie from afar comforting the twins, he knew what to do. "If I read you a story, do you two promise to be quiet and not talk about this...dragon...?"

The twins nodded earnestly.

"All right then," sighed Percy, and, careful not to jostle either of them, he flipped back to the beginning of the book. "Once upon a time..."

"Are there dragons in this story?" asked Fred.

Percy gave him a warning look. "What did I say?"

"Shh Fred...Percy's gonna tell us," George mumbled sleepily.

As Percy read through the first chapter, his voice steady even when lightning flickered around them, the twins were lulled into complacency. Even the thunder seemed less imposing; it was as though the rest of the world tuned out, leaving only his unfaltering narration to carry them through the night.

Percy paused after finishing the chapter, revelling in the moment that Fred and George were actually silent. He glanced down at them; George's head pressed against Percy's chest and he was breathing steadily, fists clamped in his older brother's shirt. Fred curled against his other side, eyes closed, his arms strewn outward.

Percy smiled slightly and flipped back to his current chapter, reading on in silence. When Mrs Weasley padded past their room to check on little Ron – his cries echoed distantly – she was in for a surprise.

Percy only put a finger to his lips, preventing her from disrupting the twins sleeping peacefully against his chest. Mrs Weasley smiled knowingly and disappeared from view.

Fred mumbled something in his sleep that sounded vaguely like "_gonna protect you from the dragon"_; Percy only arched an eyebrow and returned to his book, silently glad, for once, that he was their older brother.

The End

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